Prince Joachim of Denmark
, (Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian; born 7 June 1969) is the second and younger son of Margrethe II of Denmark and the late Prince Henrik. Joachim is sixth in the line of succession to the Danish throne, following his elder brother, Crown Prince Frederik, and Frederik's four children. Early life Birth Prince Joachim was born at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 7 June 1969. Joachim has one older sibling: Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark (1968). Christening :See Christening of Prince Joachim of Denmark Prince Joachim was christened on 15 July 1969 in Aarhus Cathedral. He was the first member of the royal family to have been christened outside of Copenhagen. Joachim's godparents were Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Jean Baptiste de Laborde de Monpezat, Crown Prince Harald of Norway (now Harald V), and Princess Christina of Sweden. Confirmation Prince Joachim was confirmed in the chapel at Fredensborg Palace on 10 June 1982. Education In 1974, Prince Joachim began school at Krebs' Skole, where he attended until 1982. From 1974 to 1976, he attended as a private pupil at Amalienborg. Then, from 1982 and 1983, Joachim studied at École des Roches, a boarding school in Normandy, France. In 1986, Joachim graduated from the upper secondary school Øregaard Gymnasium in Copenhagen. Then, from 1986 to 1987, he worked on a farm at Wagga Wagga in Australia. From 1991 to 1993, Joachim attended the Classenske Agerbrugskole Næsgaard on the island of Falster, where he completed his studies in agrarian economics. In addition to Danish, Joachim also speaks French, English and German. Career Military Prince Joachim began his military education in 1987 as a recruit in the Queen's Own Regiment. In 1988, he became a sergeant, and a year later, a lieutenant of the reserve. Then from 1989 to 1990, he served as a Platoon Commander of a tank squadron in the Prince's Own Regiment. In 1990, Joachim gained the rank of first lieutenant of the reserve, and in 1992 he was appointed captain of the reserve. From 1996 to 2004, Joachim was commander of a tank squadron in the mobilization force of the Prince's Own Regiment. In 2005, he was appointed to major of the reserve and attached to the Danish Division’s staff. In 2011, Joachim was appointed to lieutenant colonel of the reserve and designated as chief of the Liaison Officers Group in the Total Defense Regions of Fyn, Syd and Sønderjylland. In 2015, Joachim was appointed to colonel of the reserve. Business & Agriculture From 1993 to 1995, Prince Joachim worked for the A.P. Møller Maersk Group in Hong Kong and France with the purpose of broadening his business experience. Along with his agricultural background, Joachim owns and runs farming and forestry operations. The farming is based primarily on conventional agriculture. Schackenborg Estate In 1993, Prince Joachim took over the estate of Schackenborg Castle in the town of Møgeltønder, in Southern Jutland, having been granted the estate in the will of the count Hans Schack in 1978. Joachim and his first wife, now Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, received 13 million Danish kroner collected by the people of Denmark as a national gift, reserved for restoration of the estate. The restoration was finished in 1999. In 2014, the estate was handed over to the Schackenborg Foundation, which consists of Prince Joachim, the Bitten and Mads Clausens Foundation, the Ole Kirks Foundation, and Ecco Holding. Prince Joachim, his second wife, Princess Marie, and their children moved from the castle to Klampenborg, but the couple still remain patrons of the Schackenborg Foundation. Personal Life First Marriage ;Engagement :See Engagement of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley ;Wedding :See Wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley On 18 November 1995, Joachim married Alexandra Manley in the chapel at Frederiksborg Castle. ;Issue Joachim and Alexandra have two children: * [[Prince Nikolai of Denmark|Prince Nikolai William Alexander Frederik]] (born 28 August 1999) * [[Prince Felix of Denmark|Prince Felix Henrik Valdemar Christian]] (born 22 July 2002) ;Divorce On 16 September 2004, the couple announced their separation, and divorced on 8 April 2005. The two share joint custody of their sons. Second Marriage ;Engagement :See Engagement of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Marie Cavallier On 3 October 2007, the Danish Royal Court announced that Prince Joachim had become engaged to Marie Cavallier. ;Wedding :See Wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Marie Cavallier The couple's wedding took place on 24 May 2008 in Møgeltønder Church, near Schackenborg Manor. ;Issue Joachim and Marie have two children: * [[Prince Henrik of Denmark|Prince Henrik Carl Joachim Alain of Denmark]] (born 4 May 2009) * [[Princess Athena of Denmark|Princess Athena Marguerite Françoise Marie of Denmark]] (born 24 January 2012) Interests Joachim enjoys racing and has participated in a classic-car race, part of the GTC-TC championship. He drove a BMW 2002, sharing the ride with Derek Bell. Public Life Patronages Joachim's patronages include: *The Dansk Rugby Union (DRU) Titles, Styles, and Honours Titles and Styles * 7 June 1969 – 29 April 2008: His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Denmark * 29 April 2008 – present: His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Denmark, Count of Monpezat On 29 April 2008, Margrethe II granted the title of Count of Monpezat to her male-line descendants. His official title in Danish is Hans Kongelige Højhed Prins Joachim til Danmark, Greve af Monpezat. Honours :See also: List of honours of the Danish royal family by country ;National Honours * Knight of the Order of the Elephant (R.E.) * Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog (S.Kmd.) ;Foreign Honours * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross * : Member 1st Class with swords of the Order of Stara Planina (2006) * : Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland * : Grand-Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon * : Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum * : Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance * : Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle * : Member First Class of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta (Three Divine Powers) (13 October 1989) * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (17 March 2015) * : Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav * : Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania * : Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star ;Medals * '''10 June 1992': Silver Anniversary Medal of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik * 14 January 1997: The Silver Jubilee Medal of Her Majesty The Queen * 11 June 2009: Commemorative 75th Birthday Medal of His Royal Highness The Prince Consort * 16 April 2010: Commemorative 70th Birthday Medal of Her Majesty The Queen * 14 January 2012: Commemorative Ruby Jubilee Medal of Her Majesty The Queen * 16 April 2015: Commemorative 75th Birthday Medal of Her Majesty The Queen * 10 June 2017: Golden Anniversary Medal of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik External links *Official website: Danish, English, French |- |- Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:House of Monpezat Category:Danish princes Category:Counts of Monpezat Category:Nobility from Copenhagen Category:Danish people of French descent Category:Danish people of Swedish descent Category:Danish people of Russian descent Category:Prince Joachim of Denmark